The environmental issues relating to the use of toxic chemicals has been well documented, especially as these chemicals adversely affect human beings, animals, trees, plants, fish, and other resources. Also, it is known that toxic chemicals usually cannot be safely recycled, are costly to prepare, cause the pollution of the world's water, add to the carbon footprint, and reduce the oil and coal reserves. Thus, there has been an emphasis on the development of green materials such as bio-based polymers that are biodegradable, and that minimize the economic impacts and uncertainty associated with the reliance on petroleum imported from unstable regions.
Biodegradable (bio) polymers have been referred to as a group of materials that respond to the action of enzymes, and that chemically degrade by their interaction with living organisms. Biodegradation may also occur through chemical reactions that are initiated by photochemical processes, oxidation and hydrolysis that result from the action of environmental factors. Also, biodegradable polymers can include a number of synthetic polymers that possess chemical functionalities present in naturally occurring compounds. However, several of these polymers can be costly to prepare, may not be fully biodegradable, and may decompose resulting in emitting carbon to the environment.
Numerous commercially available materials, such as toners, food packaging items, plastics, automobile tires, bottles, glasses, dishes, and the like, contain or are prepared from undesirable bisphenol A.
With an increased focus on environmental impact and on health, there is an interest and/or a need to find replacements for existing reagents to reduce environmental and health risks associated with toner. Some current polyester-based toners are composed of fossil fuel-based materials, including bisphenol A (BPA). BPA has been linked to a variety of health concerns, and several European countries, Canada and several U.S. states are targeting a ban of BPA.
Therefore, there is a need for toners and processes thereof that minimize, or substantially eliminate the disadvantages illustrated herein.
Also, there is a need for polymers and toners thereof with components derived from sources other than petroleum, and other than bisphenol A.
Additionally there is a need for economical low cost toners based on hybrid designs, and where the bisphenol containing core resins of terpoly-(propoxylated bisphenol A-terephthalate)-terpoly-(propoxylated bisphenol A-dodecenylsuccinate)-terpoly-(propoxylated bisphenol A-fumarate), and terpoly-(propoxylated bisphenol A-terephthalate)-terpoly-(propoxylated bisphenol A-dodecenylsuccinate)-terpoly-(ethoxylated bisphenol A-terephthalate)-terpoly-(ethoxylated bisphenol A-dodecenylsuccinate)-terpoly-(propoxylated bisphenol A-trimellitate)-terpoly-(ethoxylated bisphenol A-trimellitate) are replaced with the disclosed economical sustainable amorphous polyester resins, and which toners also comprise a polymeric shell.
Further, there is a need for economical processes for the preparation of core resins that can be selected for incorporation into toner compositions used to develop xerographic images.
Another need relates to toner compositions, inclusive of low melting toners, prepared by emulsion aggregation processes, and where the core resin selected is environmentally acceptable and is free of bisphenol A components.
Moreover, there is a need for xerographic systems that utilize for development green toners that are obtainable in high yields, exceeding for example 90 percent, possess consistent small particle sizes of, for example, from about 1 to about 15 microns in average diameter, are of a suitable energy saving shape, have a narrow particle size GSD, and that include various core shell structures.
There is also a need for bio-based amorphous polyesters that are capable of being converted to innocuous products by the action of suitable living organisms such as microorganisms.
Another need relates to toner compositions, inclusive of low melting toners, prepared by emulsion aggregation processes, and where the resins or polymers selected are environmentally acceptable, are free of bisphenol A components, and which are less costly than some known polyesters based on bisphenol.
Moreover, there remains a need for toners with acceptable and improved characteristics relating, for example, to fixing temperature latitudes and blocking temperatures of, for example, a blocking temperature of from about 50° C. to about 60° C.
There is also a need for toners with excellent gloss and cohesion properties, acceptable minimum fixing temperatures, excellent hot and cold offset temperatures, and which toners possess desirable particle size diameters.
Further, there is a need for toner compositions that do not substantially transfer, or offset onto a xerographic fuser roller, referred to as hot or cold offset depending on whether the temperature is below the fixing temperature of the paper (cold offset), or whether the toner offsets onto a fuser roller at a temperature above the fixing temperature of the toner (hot offset).
Also, there is a need for toners that can be economically prepared and where low cost crystalline polyester resins are selected.
Moreover, there is a need for processes that enable the generation of enhanced crystallinity in polyesters.
Yet additionally, there is a need for polyester based toners with low fixing temperatures, such as from about 100° C. to about 130° C., and with a broad fusing latitude, such as from about 50° C. to about 90° C.
Another need resides in providing toners prepared by emulsion/aggregation/coalescent methods with improved blocking temperatures of, for example, from about 50° C. to about 60° C., from about 51° C. to about 54° C., or from about 53° C. to about 55° C.
Bio-based compositions that can be selected for non-toners, such as packaging materials, are also needed.
These and other needs and advantages are achievable in embodiments with the processes and compositions disclosed herein.